As a means of addressing the expected physician shortage over the next decade in the US, a flurry of medical school expansion has occurred in the form of increased enrollment on existing campuses, the creation of new schools of medicine (SOMs), and the development of regional medical campuses (RMCs).
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on ECG's website.
RMCs have evolved beyond simply serving as a vehicle for institutions interested in expanded enrollment and may offer strategic advantages to SOMs and health systems looking to establish or deepen a partnership. Given the competitive academic and clinical landscapes these organizations face, medical schools and health systems would benefit from analyzing this model and determining if it is right for them.
This blog post explores RMCs, including their characteristics and types, the rationale for SOMs and health systems to pursue such models, and the key considerations that must be explored by organizations interested in RMC development.
RMC Background
RMCs, historically referred to as branch campuses, first appeared in the US after World War II, in conjunction with a wave of medical school expansion. This growth was driven by various factors, including:
- Recognition that the physician workforce was inadequate for the growing population.
- GI Bill that fueled college enrollment.
- Growth of science stimulated by the National Institutes of Health.
- Shift toward specialized practice.[1]
RMC development was gradual in the decades that followed. But since the mid‑2000s, when the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) called on medical schools to increase first-year enrollment to address projected US physician shortages, the number of RMCs has grown rapidly. Today in the US, there are about 130 RMCs that deliver some or all of the medical school curriculum to students.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), the two accrediting bodies for medical education programs in the US granting the MD and DO degrees, respectively, offer unique but similar definitions of an RMC, as highlighted in table 1. Click here to continue>>
News From Our Partners